Civil War-era cannon balls detonated in N.Y. quarry

Aug. 13, 2014 - 11:53AM
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SOUTH GLENS FALLS, N.Y. — About 180 Civil War-era cannon balls found on the grounds of the nation's oldest arsenal have been detonated in an upstate New York quarry.

Army 1st Sgt. Kieran Dollard of the Fort Drum-based 725th Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit says Wednesday that the cannon balls were found on the grounds of the Watervliet Arsenal, on the Hudson River just north of Albany.

The explosives were moved 40 miles north to a quarry in South Glens Falls, where they were detonated Tuesday. The explosions could be heard across the area where the borders of Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties meet.

Dollard says the cannon balls may have had some black powder residue inside, so they had to be destroyed.

He didn't know when the ordnance was found. Messages left at the arsenal weren't immediately returned.